Mixed Messages
by C.Queen
Summary: It's Valentines Day and Kurt has something he wants to tell Blaine.


Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!

Happy V-Day Weekend! This is how I wish it had gone in the GLEE world!

My 120th fanfic! Wahoo!

Mixed Messages

Sitting in his car Kurt stared straight ahead, fighting back the need to study himself in the mirror one last time before he headed into the school. He'd already checked his hair, skin, teeth and everything else he could think to check a half a dozen times. And that was only since he'd arrived at the Academy. And he was going to have to get out of the car unless he wanted to stand Blaine up for the meeting HE'D arranged with the man the day before.

Still fighting the urge to stall Kurt stared down at his bag, opening it up to retrieve the disk he'd wrapped up in red paper. He'd intended to pick something with a pattern to make more of a statement, but in the end he'd been too nervous to trust his own impeccable taste. And it was the music that he'd recorded on the disk inside that mattered anyway.

His hands were shaking like mad.

Which just went to show how nervous he really was, Kurt thought as he blew out the breath he hadn't even been aware he was holding. And forcing himself to return the present to his bag Kurt opened his car door and made himself exit the vehicle.

Locking it behind him Kurt headed inside, wondering not for the first time if he was making a mistake doing this before classes started. He tried to tell himself that after classes would probably be better. But then he'd have to spend the whole day agonizing about it and Kurt knew himself well enough to know that he might very well talk himself out of what he was about to do if given the chance.

But if countless models could walk down runways in hideous clothes and convince people to buy them, and rap artists could delude themselves into thinking baggy, boxer revealing pants were sexy, he could find the courage to believe that this wasn't all going to blow up in his face like a well thrown jumbo slushie.

Making his way through the hallways Kurt took some small comfort in the fact that he was still early and the halls weren't jam packed with people yet. And since it was an all boys school, there weren't a lot of couples attending who would be meeting early to exchange Valentines Day gifts and personal displays of affection. Which was definitely not the case at his old school, where Kurt imagined a countless amount of chocolate, cards and bodily fluids were already being exchanged in various corners and classrooms.

A feeling of nostalgia creeping over him Kurt had to admit that it was times like this that he really wished his friends were with him. If they were, Mercedes and Tina could be giving him pep talks at the moment while his brother was nervously made by Rachel to stand nearby in case he needed his step brother to offer awkward but sweet words of encouragement.

Poor Finn. Lord only knew what Rachel might do in honor of the day.

Gaining courage from thoughts of his friends Kurt knew that regardless of what happened his closest confidants besides Blaine were only a text message away. And if Blaine didn't react well to his gift and the words he intended to say with them, Kurt knew he could count on his friends to try and cheer him up. Though if the slushie hit his face he wouldn't bother them on Valentines Day, he'd already decided. Tomorrow would be another story. He'd gain ten pounds from comfort food by the end of the week, not to mention drive his step brother crazy with the depressing music, but he'd survive.

Oh damn but he hoped this wouldn't blow up in his face that badly. He couldn't afford to outgrow his fabulous clothes.

Hearing the sound of footsteps Kurt raised his hand in greeting when he turned to see Blaine hurrying towards him, the other man smiling as usual. God but he was so gorgeous, so perfect without being too perfect. Was it any wonder he was hopelessly in love with the guy?

"Hey, am I late?" Blaine asked as he came to a stop in front of Kurt, absently adjusting the strap of his book bag.

Kurt shook his head. "No. Right on time as always. Thanks again for…for coming in a little early."

"No problem. I could tell it was important to you. So what's up? What's the big mystery you couldn't tell me yesterday when we talked on the phone?"

Reaching into his bag Kurt retrieved the present and thrust it out towards Blaine, smiling nervously when the other man took it from his with a quizzing expression of his face.

"Thanks, but why would you-." Kurt could see the significance of the day registering along with the usual meaning behind a gift given on Valentines Day.

And so it had come, the moment of truth. The moment that separated the men from the boys, Kurt thought determinedly. The…he couldn't think of another metaphor that worked, his mind was too freaked out. So he did what countless men had been doing since the beginning of time. He blurted out what he wanted to say and rambled incessantly while doing it.

"I made it for you, the disk. I mean the contents of the disk, not the disk itself. And I realize that you weren't expecting me to give you anything today and that it comes as a complete shock to you that I'm interest in…that I was hoping you might be interested in…we're friends and if you want to stay just friends than that's perfectly fine with me, I value our friendship way to much to ruin it. But I'm in love with you. I really love you and if you aren't doing anything after school maybe we could go somewhere, together? Like…on a date. Maybe?"

Blaine stared at him dumbly, obviously trying to wrap his mind around what had just been said. "Kurt." He said softly, his voice unsteady and unsure. "I…I don't know what to…I never thought you…Kurt."

Opening his mouth instinctively to do some serious back tracking, Kurt only got as far as saying Blaine's name when someone else did the same.

Both men turning their heads Kurt watched in dismay as another student who shared a few classes with Blaine came running towards them, out of breath and wheezing from the effort. "Thank God you're here." The intruder panted as he leaned forward on his knees to catch his breath. "Someone said they saw you come this way." Rising to stand up straight the student placed his hands on Blaine's shoulders, giving the man a pathetic puppy dog look. "You need to come with me. Now. Major crisis. No time to explain, just come with me before Mike's head explodes." And getting a good grip on Blaine's arm the man started to drag the man away from Kurt.

"But I…I was just…" Shooting a helpless look in Kurt's direction Blaine was in the hallway and out of sight before he had sufficiently recovered enough to say anything in response to Kurt's confession.

Standing where he was with a hopeless look on his face Kurt sighed. "I just never get a break, do I?"

)

And if he'd thought he felt crappy before, it was nothing compared to how Kurt felt as his second last class ended. Actually, it was his last class for the day since he'd found out part way through the day that one of his teacher's had canceled class, his last one. A blessing in disguise, since he wasn't sure he could make it through another class without letting everyone see that his heart was in serious breaking state. He'd held out hope, but when Blaine didn't call, text, or come looking for him during the day, Kurt had to accept the fact that his confession had freaked his friend out and Blaine was avoiding him. Blaine was too nice of a guy to hurt his feelings intentionally, so this whole thing had to have hit the man so hard he wasn't thinking straight, the younger man thought dejectedly as he made his way through the crowded hallway.

So he'd go home early, maybe take a nap or zone out with some music, Kurt decided with deep breaths to keep his emotions under wraps. And then, when everyone was out of the house, he'd order take out and watch a really weepy, depressing chick flick while no one was around to comment or try to console him. At least the he'd have an explanation for his father later, when the man called attention to the evidence that he'd been crying. His dad was used to him crying over chick flicks and would buy the excuse hands down.

You'd think by now that he would be used to guys he was interested in being interested in someone else or in just being friends, Kurt thought with a dramatic sigh.

But Blaine was different, and hurt way more than any of his other crushes or thought he was in loves. This was right up there with the pain he'd felt imagining his life without his dad, or how he'd felt when he'd thought that his father would lose Finn's mom because of him and Finn's problems with moving in with them. This was a pain that he couldn't see him dealing well with any time soon. Though he'd have to find a way, for Blaine's sake.

One could only hope that the saying was true and that those in love found it in themselves to be selfless enough to put their own love's wants and needs before their own.

Looking one last time at his cell, which indicated he'd received no texts or phone messages while in the noisy hallway, Kurt slid it back into his pocket and headed out the school doors towards the parking lot.

It was a testament to his mental state that he didn't turn on the radio or even hook up his music to the player before he headed out. He didn't want to risk hearing so much as one romantic song until he was in his room and could lose it without an audience or possible car wreck.

Arriving home without incident Kurt headed directly to his room, collapsed onto his bed, and hoped desperately that he looked as crappy as he felt so that he could feign being sick and get out of school the next day.

)

He was still lying there forty minutes later when he heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs, Kurt too depressed to lift his head from his pillow. Plus, one look at his face and whoever it was would know he'd spent the last thirty minutes or so crying. If it was either of his parents he didn't want to ruin their Valentines Day plans, and if it was Finn…he just didn't want to talk to Finn at the moment. The man would try, but Kurt couldn't see the chat helping one little bit.

So he stayed where he was and hope that whoever it was he or she would think he was sleeping.

His bed dipping down as someone took a seat on the bed Kurt almost jumped out of his skin when he felt a warm, familiar hand stroke through his hair. Normally he hated people messing with his perfectly styled hair, but in this case he was beyond caring. And for that matter, Blaine could mess up his hair any time he wanted.

And it said something about him that he was thinking about his hair at a time like this, Kurt thought ruefully. Maybe Finn had a point, saying how it was a little unhealthy how much he cared about his personal appearance.

"Kurt, I know you aren't sleeping. Won't you please look at me?"

Turning his attention back to the situation at hand, Kurt knew he should man up and face Blaine head on, but he'd used up all of his masculine DNA earlier. His feminine side had full control now and he was not about to let Blaine see the mess his crying had made of his face. Well that and he knew he'd start crying again if he looked up and saw pity in the other man's eyes. Blaine knew he wasn't asleep, the man could let him down easy just as easily with his face buried in the pillow, Kurt decided with a hunching of his shoulders.

"Kurt." Blaine sighed, continuing to stroke the younger man's head as he tried to explain the bizarre day he'd had. "I'm so sorry about today. For letting myself be dragged off like that…I was just so surprised by what you said that I wasn't thinking straight. And I was going to blow off my second period class so that I could catch you on your spare, but Mr. Patterson caught me and 'escorted' me to class. Then I was on my way to see you at lunch and I got called to the principal's office to talk to some parents who are thinking of enrolling their son here. He's musically inclined so…so by the time I was done with that you'd already left the cafeteria and I couldn't find you. When I got out my phone to text you to arrange a meeting I found out that my battery had died without me noticing and I couldn't remember your phone number because like everyone in our generation I depend on technology way too much. I should have emailed you but I didn't think of that until my spare and by then I figured I'd just wait for you outside your last class. I got caught up trying to figuring out what to say to you and by the time I got there and discovered the note on the door saying your class had been canceled…and I would have gotten here sooner, but traffic was terrible and I couldn't shake the feeling that given the way things were going, I better obey every traffic law known to man if I was ever going to see you today."

Smiling a little inspite of himself Kurt had to admit he felt a little better, knowing Blaine had intended to speak to him earlier. But he was still about to be given the 'lets just be friends' spiel, so he wasn't going to be smiling widely anytime soon.

"I'm serious. I'm not lying."

"I know. You'd come up with something a lot more normal." Kurt told him, lifting his head just a little bit so that his words wouldn't be muffled by the pillow.

"Thanks for that." Kurt could hear the smile in Blain's voice. "So will you please look at me now?"

Kurt thought about it for a moment and then shook his head against the pillow.

After several moments of obvious contemplation Blaine shocked the hell out of the man by shifting to lie down on the bed beside him. It was enough of a surprise that Kurt immediately rolled over and onto his side to stare at the other man, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

As soon as he saw the look in Blaine's eyes Kurt belated remembered his own puffy, blotchy complexion, looking down towards the bedspread so he wouldn't have to meet Blaine's sorry gaze. ""It's nothing. You know I'm a crybaby when it comes to this sort of thing." Embarrassingly so.

"I'm still sorry I made you cry." And leaning forward Blaine stole the air from Kurt's lungs as he pressed his lips softly against each of the man's abused eyelids in turn.

Opening his eyes when Blaine pulled away Kurt figured his eyes would be even wider if it were possible. "Blaine."

"I listened to your CD on the way here. That you would sing those songs for me, pick them for me…I can't imagine a more perfect Valentines Day present. And if the offer's still open, I would love to spend the rest of today with you."

The look in the other man's eyes had Kurt finding the courage to ask the most important question of all. "As a couple?"

"Yeah." And leaning forward once more Blaine pressed his lips against Kurt's this time, gently kissing his Valentine in a way that said the other man wouldn't be the least bit wrong, thinking his feelings were returned.

Making a small sound of pleasure Kurt shyly kissed the other man back, thinking that this was a real first kiss. This was how you kissed someone so that they felt like they were the most beautiful, wonderful and precious thing in the world to you.

A picture perfect moment, at last.

)

Meanwhile

Coming down the stairs Finn was all set and raring to tell his step brother all about the mini soap operas that had happened at school thanks to the minefield that was a holiday devoted to proving to others how much you loved them. Kurt was not going to believe what Rachel had pulled, much less Brittany. He and Artie should have seen it coming, Finn thought ruefully, given the girls' personalities.

Shaking his head as he remembered his day Finn was almost down to the bottom of the staircase when he realized the situation he'd inadvertably walked into. Slapping a hand over his eyes Finn reached out desperately to find the railing, using it to lead him back up the stairs before they realized he was even there.

Kurt would definitely take some horrible revenge on him if he broke up his big moment with Blaine, Finn thought as he firmly closed the door behind him, having heard his step brother practicing his confession speech numerous times over the weekend.

He was not waking up with his nails painted tomorrow, no siree.


End file.
